Brownies and beer, together at last! This Cherry Lambic Brownies recipe is made with fresh Bing cherries. The brownies are rich, fudgy, and perfect with a scoop of ice cream.
Brownies + Beer
These are those kind of brownies.
The kind of brownies where you eat one and swear off chocolate for the rest of the year and vow to eat salad (and salad alone!) for the next week. But then you sneak one for breakfast the next morning. And maybe one for lunch too.
The kind of brownies that are so rich and fudgy, you have to eat them with a spoon.
The kind of brownies that incite arguments over who gets the last one.
(Yeah, that happened.)
About the Recipe
I realize that Cherry Lambic Brownies aren't exactly why you read Oh My Veggies, but I had this idea floating around in my head ever since I made cupcakes with raspberry lambic earlier this year. I loved the hint of fruit the lambic added to those chocolate cupcakes and I wanted to experiment with using it in more baked goods. So I added "cherry lambic brownies" to my big list of recipes to make and it sat there for several months.
I found myself putting off making them because rich, decadent desserts tend not to do well on my blog. However! I'm a big believer in the power of the daily occasional brownie. And these brownies are so good, they're worth sharing. So if you're not here for brownies, you can come back tomorrow and I promise I'll have something healthier for you. Deal?
Although I love cherries, I'm not a big fan of cherries in pies and cakes. The flavor is a little too much for me. I thought I'd try using Bing cherries because they're in season and they have a mellower flavor than other, more assertive cherries that are used for baking. The lambic also adds more of a cherry undertone to the brownies--it's understated, but it's there. Make no mistake though, chocolate is the star here.
Ingredients
Cherry Lambic Brownies
- cooking spray or oil mister
- ¾ cup cherry lambic
- 12 oz semi- or bittersweet chocolate chopped
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups white sugar (organic for vegan-friendly)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup pitted & halved cherries
- vanilla ice cream optional
- cherry sauce optional
Cherry Sauce
- ⅓ cup cherry lambic
- 1 cup pitted & halved cherries
- 2 tbsp white sugar (organic for vegan-friendly)
Instructions
Cherry Lambic Brownies
- Preheat oven to 350°F and spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
- Bring lambic to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat to medium and cook about 10 minutes more, until reduced by about ⅓. Set aside.
- Combine chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat at 30 second intervals, stirring after each one, until melted. (You can use a double-boiler for this if you want, but I'm lazy and I haven't burned chocolate in the microwave yet!)
- Combine sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk until well-combined. Slowly whisk in chocolate butter mixture, then lambic. Stir in flour and salt, then gently fold in cherries.
- Pour brownie batter into baking dish. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of dish comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for at least 20 minutes and cut into 16 squares. Serve with vanilla ice cream and cherry sauce (if desired).
Cherry Sauce
- Combine lambic and cherries in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently, or until thickened. Use wooden spoon to smash cherries against the side of the pan while it cooks for thicker sauce or puree with immersion blender after sauce has finished cooking for a smoother consistency.
nicole @nicky_olea says
My son loves cherries add in chocolate gosh he'd be in heaven!
Katie says
You had me at beer! Those sound great!
All Natural Katie says
I am usually not a fan of standard brownies, but these are no standard brownies, but any means. I will be making these and my husband will love them!
Kiersten says
They are definitely not standard brownies! My husband likes brownies, but he doesn't go crazy about them like I do, and he totally loved these. And fought me for the last one. 🙂
Jackie @ Domestic Fits says
Cooking with beer? That's so weird. I've never heard of such things 😉
Seriously, love these. They look perfect, and maybe with some vanilla Hefeweizen ice cream?
Kiersten says
I know, right? Someone should start a blog about it...
Tina @ More Please Recipes says
Thanks to you Jackie, I have a new blog fav as well. Kiersten, your blog is awesome! I love your clean, fun photographs.
Kiersten says
Thank you! 😀
Jennifer says
this post is just TOO much! Brownies made with beer?! I think my hubby will die if I made these
Kiersten says
My husband was pretty thrilled about it. 🙂
Jay @craftyspices says
Sounds so delicious, I can't have beer right now :(... Saving this one for a later time.
katie says
I love cherry lambic beer! These brownies are right up my alley!
Russell at Chasing Delicious says
Eek! These look incredible. That first shot is gorgeous - I want to just dig right in!
Tina @ More Please Recipes says
I feel the same way about cherries, especially in dessert. I've always felt like there's something wrong with me that I just don't care for cherry pies or clafoutis. But, pairing it with chocolate, and lambic, I think this is something I can get behind. Thanks for posting!
Kiersten says
You could also try using raspberry lambic and fresh raspberries! In fact, I might try that very soon. 😉
Jenah says
I made these yesterday using raspberry lambic and puréed & strained raspberries. AMAZING. Everyone went back for seconds. They were so fudged and delicious. The raspberry sauce was the perfect accompaniment. Thank you so much for this recipe. This is my go to brownie recipe from now on.
Kiersten Frase says
I'm glad you enjoyed the brownies! I need to make it again soon--it's my favorite brownie recipe too!